Utility poles used to support overhead electrical power lines and associated components (transformers, street lights and the like) or other public utilities such as cable and fiber optic cable must be replaced periodically, either as part of a maintenance program or in response to damage from storms or vehicles. Replacement of poles is asset intensive, requiring specialized equipment including truck mounted cranes and bucket trucks even to replace a single pole damaged by a vehicular collision. However, demand for such assets, for example, to effect repairs after a storm, may strain the capabilities of even the most well equipped utility company, leaving some customers without power while they wait their turn for the equipment to fix a downed pole. Additionally, if any excavation is required for even a temporary repair, permission to dig must be cleared with a utility or other clearing house to avoid damage to underground infrastructure such as gas or telephone lines. This lengthens the time required to effect repair. Furthermore, replacing utility poles in urban areas may require double the amount of equipment be used because space is limited and thus a replacement pole must go into the same hole as the original pole. When space is limited a first crane is needed to remove the original pole and hold it so that it remains in the line while a second crane positions the replacement pole in the hole. The power lines are then transferred from the original pole to the replacement pole.
There is clearly an opportunity to improve the process of replacing utility poles by decreasing the assets required and by using assets which are less expensive than those used in current practice.